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FISHING GUIDE · EVERGLADES, FLORIDA
Everglades City, Ten Thousand Islands and Flamingo (Everglades National Park) Fishing Guide
This is a huge, wild maze of mangrove islands, creeks, rivers and shallow bays at the bottom of Florida. Anglers fish the mangrove shorelines, oyster bars and creek mouths for snook, redfish and tarpon, and the shallow flats of Florida Bay for trout and redfish. Oyster bars, sandbars and very shallow water are everywhere, so local knowledge and a good chart matter.
📍 Everglades City and Chokoloskee (Collier County) on the Gulf side; Flamingo and Florida Bay at the south end of the park (Monroe County). Landmarks: Ten Thousand Islands, Wilderness Waterway, Whitewater Bay, Cape Sable, Florida Bay.
📅 Florida Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
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Quick facts
- Everglades National Park has more than 530,000 acres of marine waters.
- Since August 1, 2019, nearly everyone running a powerboat in the park's marine waters must carry the park's free Boater Education certificate (online course in English or Spanish).
- In Florida Bay, the sea bottom is protected as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness to stop prop scarring of seagrass.
- Pole/troll zones in Florida Bay are generally any area less than two feet deep: no combustion motors, only poling, paddling or electric trolling motors.
- The Ten Thousand Islands area is part of the largest mangrove forest in North America.
What you can catch
- Snook
Mangrove shorelines and creek mouths; Gulf season, slot 28-33 inches. - Redfish
Oyster bars and mangrove points; good in the fall. - Tarpon
Rivers, creeks and outside islands in spring and summer; catch-and-release. - Spotted seatrout
Grass flats and Florida Bay basins; big trout on the flats in early spring. - Black drum
Oyster bars and channels in cooler months. - Sheepshead
Oyster bars and structure in winter. - Mangrove snapper
Around mangroves and rocks, strongest in summer. - Permit
Reported by local guides in summer.
Month by month
| January | Winter species around oyster bars; snook bite on warm, mild days. |
|---|---|
| February | Cold fronts, low water and wind; live shrimp works best. |
| March | Windy but good; big trout on the flats, snook moving in. |
| April | Snook, redfish, trout and tarpon all active. |
| May | Tarpon and snook; snook harvest closed (May 1 - Sept 30). |
| June | Tarpon and snook, catch-and-release snook; watch summer storms. |
| July | Snook, tarpon, permit; sharks can take hooked fish. |
| August | Snook, tarpon and mangrove snapper; sharks common. |
| September | Hot weather; snook still closed to harvest through Sept 30. |
| October | Redfish show up; snook harvest open Oct 1 - Nov 30. |
| November | Redfish steady; snook and trout good as water cools. |
| December | Snook harvest closed Dec 1 - end of Feb; winter species on oyster bars. |
Tips
- Take the free Everglades Boater Education course and carry the certificate (paper or phone) before you run a powerboat in the park.
- Buy a park entrance pass; the private vehicle pass also covers a single vessel and is good for 7 days.
- Turn off your gas motor in pole/troll zones (Florida Bay water under two feet) and use a push pole, paddle or trolling motor.
- Obey idle-speed and posted manatee zones around Everglades City, Chokoloskee and Flamingo.
- Florida Bay keys (islands) are closed to protect nesting birds, except the listed exceptions; no wading within 100 feet of a closed area.
Rules and license
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) · Official rules page ↗
- A Florida saltwater fishing license is required in the park (children under 16 do not need one). A snook permit is also needed to keep snook.
- All waters of Everglades National Park are in FWC's Southwest region.
- Redfish (Southwest region): 18-27 inch slot, 1 per person per day, 2 per vessel, open year-round.
- Spotted seatrout (Southwest region): 15-19 inch slot, 3 per person per day, one over 19 inches allowed per vessel, open year-round.
- Snook (Southwest region): 28-33 inch slot, 1 per person per day; closed Dec 1 - end of Feb and May 1 - Sept 30.
- Tarpon are catch-and-release only; fish over 40 inches must stay in the water unless you hold a tarpon tag for a record attempt.
- Everglades NP rules: no more than 20 fish per person in possession and no more than 10 of one species; lobster and queen conch may not be taken; chumming and commercial fishing are banned.
- No fishing at Flamingo Marina and boat ramps from sunrise to sunset.
- Joe Bay and Snag Bay are catch-and-release, non-motorized boating only.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 5 boat ramps and 0 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Public boat ramp
- The Fishing Hole
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/fishing.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/access-and-resource-protection.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/boater-education-program.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/news/everglades-boater-education-program-goes-into-effect-aug-1.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/fees.htm
- https://www.fws.gov/refuge/ten-thousand-islands
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/red-drum/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/spotted-seatrout/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/snook/
- https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/tarpon/
- https://visitevergladescity.com/category/fishing-report/
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.